Many years ago, when I was considering a call to vocational ministry as a pastor, I encountered an idea I’ve never forgotten: We often discover God’s calling in the interplay between what needs to be done and what we were created to do.
What needs in the world do you have an opportunity to address? What gifts within you are waiting to be expressed? What tugs at your heart? Where might the needs around you and the gifts within you meet?
Those questions are at the heart of our September worship theme, “No Sidelines: Called to Serve.” Throughout the month, we will explore what it means for ordinary people like us to take part in God’s work.
Sometimes, when we think about our shared ministry as followers of Jesus, we focus on only half of the equation: What needs to be done?
There are classes that need teachers, doors that need greeters, meals that need serving, people who need care, and countless other tasks waiting to be completed. Before long, ministry can begin to feel like an ongoing effort to cajole people into doing things they would really rather not do.
But that is not a very compelling vision of the Church. More importantly, I don’t believe it reflects the way God designed ministry to work.
In Romans 12, Paul writes, “We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us.” He then names several of those gifts: serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading, and showing compassion. His list is not exhaustive. His point is that God’s grace takes different forms in different people, and that each of us is invited to put that grace into practice.
Our gifts take shape through our personalities, talents, interests, abilities, and experiences. Some people come alive when they teach. Some instinctively notice who is standing alone. Some can organize a complicated project without breaking a sweat. Others listen deeply, offer encouragement, solve problems, create beauty, extend hospitality, or quietly do what needs to be done.
These differences are not obstacles to overcome. They are part of God’s design for the Church.
When we serve in ways that fit how God has formed us, other people are blessed. But something also happens within us. We experience the joy of offering something that feels deeply connected to who we are. We grow in faith, form relationships, discover abilities we did not know we had, and become more fully the people God created us to be.
The psalmist says, “Serve the Lord with gladness.” That gladness does not mean every act of service will be easy, convenient, or immediately rewarding. Faithful service sometimes asks us to stretch, persevere, and step beyond what feels comfortable. Still, service was never meant to be nothing more than grim obligation. At its best, it carries a deep joy because God is using who we are to participate in something larger than ourselves.
This is one of the beautiful mysteries of Christian service: God’s blessings rarely travel in only one direction. The person offering care is often changed by the person receiving it. The teacher learns from the student. The encourager is encouraged. The one who welcomes a stranger discovers a friend.
That does not mean every need is ours to meet. None of us can do everything, and trying to do so usually produces exhaustion rather than joy. Discernment matters. We pay attention to the needs around us, but we also pay attention to the ways God has formed us. We pray. We listen. We experiment. We invite people who know us well to help us recognize gifts we may not see in ourselves.
Worship is an important part of that discernment. We gather to encounter God’s grace, listen for God’s voice, and allow the Spirit to shape our lives. Then we are sent back into the world to love and serve in the name of Jesus. Our service grows out of worship, and our worship continues through the lives we offer to God.
That is why I hope you will make Sunday morning worship a priority throughout September. Each Sunday will stand on its own, offering a fresh opportunity to listen, reflect, and respond. Together, we will consider how God calls us, how our gifts contribute to the life of the whole church, how we discover the ways we can serve, and what it means to put our faith into action.
So bring this question with you: Where do a genuine need, the gifts God has entrusted to me, and a sense of gladness come together?
You may already know the answer. You may need time to discover it. Either way, come ready to listen and remain open to what God might reveal. This month could mark the beginning of something that blesses others, deepens your faith, and brings unexpected joy into your life.
